JAKARTA - The Philippines and Singapore signed a social development deal on Wednesday, March 4, which covers child welfare, disability programs, and women's empowerment.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Singapore's Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli signed the MOU at The Peninsula Manila, on the sidelines of an ASEAN ministerial forum the Philippines is hosting as 2026 chair. 

The agreement commits both governments to exchanging expertise on social protection, child development including the “First 1,000 Days” framework, disability programs, and women's empowerment, with joint workshops, study visits, and institutional exchanges to follow.

The “First 1,000 Days” framework in the Philippines, legally mandated by Republic Act 11148 (the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act” of 2018), is a health and nutrition strategy targeting the period from conception to a child’s second birthday (0-23 months).

Last December, UNICEF Philippines warned Manila that nearly a quarter of Filipino children under five are chronically malnourished and therefore at risk of impaired brain development and poorer educational outcomes later in life.

UNICEF's spokesperson said that the government should “prioritize funding for cost-effective, high-impact early life nutrition interventions in national and local budgets” and “review the milk feeding program.”

Singapore is home to over 200,000 Filipinos, mostly domestic workers, and in August 2025 the Philippines pushed through a long-delayed wage floor increase, raising the minimum monthly pay for Filipino domestic workers in Singapore from $400 to $500, a figure that had not moved since 2006. 

On the investment side, Singapore ranks among the Philippines' top foreign investors. 

When Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited Manila last June in his first trip as the Prime Minister, both sides agreed to work more closely on healthcare, defence, renewable energy, carbon credits, and digital transformation. 

Wong described the relationship as “built on a high degree of mutual trust and respect.”